The Pilgrimage of Iltani'Yuta
by Oslonaut
Summary: Iltani'Yuta nar Sargon- a Quarian girl on her pilgrimage- finds an unexpected ally at the heart of the Perseus Veil. Joel Azul, the wanted Alliance agent. Together, they must survive a spatial terror! Set before the events of ME1.


It had only been a few days, but she was already heavy with heartache. She missed her people, her mother and father, her shipmates. And she knew they missed her, too. They had been proud, yet sad to see her go off on her Pilgrimage- like the others. And until she returned from this journey with something worth offering to the Migrant Fleet, there would always be a hole in her heart that needed filling. It was crazy, how she could be smack in the middle of the most famous space station in the galaxy- surrounded by thousands of species- and still feel utterly alone. As a child, she had always imagined her first trip to the Citadel as something wondrous. But now that she was here… well, little _Iltani'Yuta nar Sargon_ would have scolded her for lacking the enthusiasm. But it couldn't be helped.

Garbed in black cloth, peppered with small white stars and lined with metallic silver along its edges, her slender frame fit snugly into her environmental suit. From behind the seemingly permanent cover of her visor, Iltani's cat-like eyes peered off towards the display of spurting fountains in the distance. The Presidium was definitely a beautiful locale. But with no one to share it with, her thoughts drifted back to the isolation she felt. She sighed, leaning forwards on the metal railing that stood between her and the watery playground. The fabricated blue sky above her, providing the backdrop for the constant flow of cruisers that whizzed by, was something she had never seen before. She was accustomed to the sight of metal plating and bare wiring above her head. Not this… _beautiful_ thing. Much to her dismay, the people here weren't as heartwarming to a Quarian as the sight.

Sahar had warned her, warned her that a majority of the species here regarded Quarians as thieves, con artists and no-good freeloaders. She had warned her that, despite the fact that Iltani had done nothing wrong, she should expect them to jump to unfair conclusions. And when the Asari shuttle she had boarded finally docked on the Citadel, Iltani was certain she was ready for anything that would transpire. One lengthy and tiresome interrogation by C-Sec later, and that certainty was pummeled into oblivion. The entirety of her time spent here thereafter was overshadowed by the constant glares she received from various people. She felt like she was being watched constantly, monitored and expected to commit a crime. She would not, of course, give them that luxury. She was only an engineer, after all, looking for any opportunity to prove herself to the Migrant Fleet. Exactly when an opportunity such as that would present itself, however, was unknown to her.

Just as she was dreading the possibility of never finding anything of use for the flotilla, stranded on some distant world like the other Quarians who had never returned from their Pilgrimage, a commotion of noise sounded behind her. She turned slightly, looking over her shoulder, expecting to find a troop of C-Sec officers ready to reprimand her for something as small as leaning too far over the railing. But instead, she spotted an armored Turian exiting the embassy building afar- keeping a steady pace as a Human diplomat followed closely behind, reprimanding him without pause. "Arcadian!" The male diplomat snapped. "Our conversation is _not_ over, you hear me? There are things you need to take into account!"

Dressed in a formal beige suit, the Human decided to stop his futile pursuit. His middle-aged countenance glowing red with frustration as he watched the Turian leave without a word. It was only after the male turned around and stomped away back into the embassy building, that Iltani noticed the Turian was walking towards _her- _or rather, towards the flat bridge near her position. She found the species… intimidating, this one especially so. He was large, a broad set of shoulders swaying as he walked, wearing obsidian black armor lined with bright red. His skin was a deep gray, as to almost appear cobalt blue in color, and the white face paint decorating his face ended in sharp tips- fleshing out a pair of dark eyes.

When these eyes shifted unexpectedly towards her, the Quarian girl immediately looked away- pretending to admire a cruiser parked only meters away. _Keelah_, she reflected. _I really have to stop with the staring_. It was easy to feel safe behind the cover of her environmental suit's visor, to imagine she was looking through a one-way mirror. But that was not the case. She needed to be extra careful not to annoy anyone here. One wrong move could cost her another dreadful interrogation. Or worse. She only hoped the Turian referred to as "Arcadian" hadn't taken her stare so seriously, and that he would finally pass over the bridge so that she could resume her daydreaming. Footsteps marked his position as he advanced- then stopped. Iltani held her breath for a moment- _why had he stopped?_

"Ah, the _Kitsune V_." A brusque voice sounded, clearly talking about the cruiser the Quarian was currently pretending to ogle. "I prefer the older model myself. A bit harder to steer, but far more reliable where it counts." Tentatively, Iltani turned to the source of the remark. He was… taller, up-close. She suppressed the urge to gulp.

"Um… yes… I agree." Stupid. She hardly knew anything about cruisers. Especially fancy ones like that. But at the moment, she was too overwhelmed with the fact that the Turian had _stopped_ to think clearly. To her, the sooner this conversation was over, the better. She would just have to choose her words carefully, and feign what she did not know. As if the Turian had read her thoughts, he continued.

"Really? I'm surprised. I hadn't expected Quarians to know much about the model. They're very expensive, even for Citadel standards... You an engineer?"

Immediately, Iltani chalked that guess to the typical roster of stereotypes present on the Citadel. She was almost certain the Turian was one of _those_ people. But, ironically, in her case it was true. "Yes," She muttered, dropping her gaze down to the white floor as her hands fumbled with one another. "I'm an engineer." She didn't know what else to say, unsure whether she'd have an appropriate answer. But she could feel the Turian's dark eyes on her and, for some reason, she dared to lift her gaze back up. The armored male held a sharp Turian smile, eyes narrowing with what she perceived to be interest. Why was he still here?

"Well, that explains it then. I'd imagine you've worked over a few of these during your stay here, am I right?" To his inquiry, Iltani simply nodded. She was lying, but should luck be in her favor, he would leave- and they would never see each other again. Before she knew it, the Turian held out his hand. She stood, dumbstruck at this gesture for a moment, before he introduced himself. "Arcadian Knives, Special Tactics and Reconnaissance. It's a pleasure meeting you, _engineer_."


End file.
